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墨書 Inktalez
He died, probably last night. My mother said this, and I wanted to step forward to take a look, but she stopped me. She said, "We need to go to the temple now; later, we have to prepare for your Third Uncle's funeral."
I was held back by my mother, but unease settled in my heart because Third Uncle had visited me last night. I couldn't shake the feeling that his death might somehow be connected to me.
However, Third Uncle was of an age where death was not unexpected. Plus, Soybean's death must have hit him hard, so everyone considered Third Uncle's passing quite normal.
As we walked toward the temple, I recalled what Soybean had told me: not to trust Third Uncle. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. My own grandson warning me against believing his grandfather.
On the way, my mother mentioned that after we prayed at the temple, I should get a good night's sleep and return to work tomorrow.
It felt like my mother was urging me to leave, and I didn’t respond.
Upon arriving at the temple, my mother lit incense and burned Joss Paper. Then she pulled me over to the statue of Guanyin and bowed three times while murmuring something I couldn't quite catch.
After standing up, I wandered around the dilapidated temple and noticed a side door that was ajar. Curiosity piqued, I pushed it open to take a look.
Inside, there was no one, but there was a bed and a table with a yellow mat underneath it.
This simple setup held my gaze for quite some time.
Just then, someone gently tapped my shoulder. I turned around and found an elderly man in his fifties or sixties standing behind me with a serene expression.
He was thin as a rail, with sunken cheeks. His eyes bulged slightly; honestly, it was a bit startling at first glance.
"Young man, what are you looking at?" The old man's voice was somewhat hoarse.
I awkwardly expressed that I hadn't seen much and apologized for bothering him.
My mother also heard the commotion and, noticing me talking to the old man, suddenly changed her expression and hurried over to call me by name, then pulled me towards the Guanyin Statue.
She ignored the old man entirely and didn’t offer any explanation for my behavior.
Some might think my mother was being rude, but when I saw the old man's expression, I fell silent.
After seeing me talking to the old man, my mother quickly finished burning Joss Paper, bowed her head, and then urged me to bow as well. She insisted that we leave.
The old man had already entered the house, and as I passed by, I curiously glanced inside through the crack in the door, but my mother scolded me, saying not to look around.
I felt quite frustrated by my mother's strange behavior; sometimes I really couldn't understand her.
On the way back, I asked her, "When did that old man move into the temple?"
My mother didn’t respond right away; after a while, she finally said, "Saning, don’t go near him. He’s not a good person."
I wanted to ask more questions, but my mother deliberately quickened her pace to distance herself from me.
Upon returning to the village, preparations for Third Uncle's funeral were already underway. The villagers were organizing it since Third Uncle's son had died young and his daughter-in-law had remarried. Only Soybean remained with him, but eventually, Soybean passed away as well. It was only a matter of time before Third Uncle could no longer carry on.
The villagers contributed money for Third Uncle's funeral, so it wasn’t very grand.
My mother didn’t want me to participate in Third Uncle's funeral, but I felt uneasy because his death seemed rather suspicious. Moreover, I thought I had heard someone say that Third Uncle had actually passed away around seven or eight o'clock.
When others asked how I knew this...
The person replied that when they pulled the body out, it was already stiff, with a lifeless expression, and there was even a faint smell of decay. It had been at least five or six hours.
These words echoed in my ears, making it hard for me to believe, especially since Third Uncle had come to see me in the latter half of the night.
The exact time of death cannot be accurately recorded without medical means; however, rural methods of estimation are usually close enough.
At that moment, my mind was in turmoil, calculating the time.
I kept running through various possibilities, beads of sweat forming on my forehead as a chill crept into my heart. I would rather believe that Third Uncle passed away after he sought me out than to think he came to find me after his death.
Eventually, all calculations pointed to one conclusion: Third Uncle had come to find me within a few hours after his death! The thought made me gasp in shock, and my scalp tingled with fear.
Third Uncle had actually sought me out after his death! Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
Previously, when Soybean came looking for me, it was because I was unaware of his death. But now Third Uncle had become a ghost and had come to find me.
This was truly terrifying.
I sat on the bed, took out my phone, and my gaze fell upon the Wooden Box. Seeing that box reminded me of Third Uncle's frantic demeanor from last night.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as my pupils dilated and my eyes lost focus. I was lost in thought…
Just then, there was a knock at the door outside, startling me. When I regained my composure, I realized I was drenched in cold sweat.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, yet here I was, sweating profusely.
"Who is it?" I called out absently.
At that moment, someone outside called out to me, "Is this Saning's house?"
At first, I didn't recognize the voice, but when it called out a second time, I realized it was Zhang, the chubby guy. I could hardly believe it.
When I stepped outside and saw his plump figure, I finally accepted the reality. I asked, "Is it just you?"
Zhang smiled as he approached me. "Saning, didn't I tell you over the phone?" He winked at me playfully.
I quickly understood that Zhang Dexin had come along too.
Although I wasn't particularly fond of Zhang Dexin, a guest is a guest. I welcomed them in and noticed that there was a woman standing next to Zhang Dexin.
Zhang hurriedly introduced her, saying, "This is my girlfriend, Jianjian!” He shot me a teasing glance as if to say, "Saning, look at you, still single."
I smiled politely and ignored Zhang's comment.
I greeted Uncle Zhang and nodded towards Jianjian, then led them inside.
They had brought a lot of things with them. Just as they settled down, a sudden loud bang echoed from outside, startling us all. Zhang nonsensically remarked, “Saning, are you setting off firecrackers to welcome me?”
Before I could respond, Zhang Dexin scolded Zhang, saying, “Stop being ridiculous. An elder in the village has passed away, and they are holding a funeral. No need for nonsense.”
I had initially thought that someone like Zhang would have a lively and youthful girlfriend, but to my surprise, Jianjian came in quietly and sat down without causing any fuss.
Sometimes Zhang would try to flirt with Jianjian, but she hardly paid him any attention.
I explained to them that the noise earlier was indeed due to the passing of my Third Uncle, which had caused quite a stir.
Suddenly, Zhang the Fat jumped in, saying, "Hey! Uncle, I believe you now. Just a couple of days ago, you asked me to take leave and also to get Saning a few more days off. Did you foresee something happening to Saning?"
Zhang Dexin looked a bit awkward at what Zhang the Fat said.
I cast a suspicious glance at Zhang Dexin; he always seemed a bit odd.
I turned to the Fat and asked, "What excuse did you use to get me leave this time?"
Zhang the Fat suddenly burst into laughter and said, "You've had a string of bad luck lately, being hospitalized twice. It’s either getting hit by a car or getting hit by a car again, so this time I just said you got hit by a car."
I stared at Zhang the Fat as if he were foolish, thinking how could he use the same excuse twice? Would the boss really believe that?
But the Fat cheerfully continued, "Saning, the boss approved your leave and sent me to check on you. He also said you should take care of your injuries. Oh, and he mentioned that you shouldn't walk with your eyes closed next time to avoid getting hit by a car again."
After Zhang the Fat finished speaking, I nearly choked on my own blood. The boss actually believed this nonsense! But his last comment reminded me of something my dad used to say: don’t walk with your eyes closed.
It was such an ordinary phrase, yet I felt there was something deeper behind it.
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